Chapter 7 — Training Against the Sea
Inside the Calm Belt, the Marine battleship moved as steadily as if it were sailing across land.
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Shinji Ikari continued his daily training as usual.
He knew that the coming era would be chaotic.
If he didn't grow stronger, he would be left behind.
After being promoted to Sergeant, Shinji moved out of the shared dormitory.
His new cabin was even smaller than the previous one.
Inside there was only a narrow fixed bed and a bathtub.
The tub was filled completely with seawater.
For normal people, soaking in seawater for too long would cause dehydration.
But Shinji had done it deliberately.
Every morning he trained with Koby and Helmeppo, handled daily chores, and studied all kinds of Marine knowledge.
Navigation.
Ship repair.
Basic survival skills.
Even cooking.
There was only one exception—
Swimming.
For a Marine, swimming was almost a required skill.
But for a Devil Fruit user, the sea was a lifelong weakness.
In the afternoon, Shinji trained as a sergeant, learning how to coordinate and command the sailors under him during battle.
At the same time, he had to endure Garp's fists.
The old man called it the "Fist of Love."
By evening, the battleship was still inside the Calm Belt.
Training on deck was impossible due to the conditions.
So Shinji returned to his cabin.
He looked at the seawater in the bathtub.
"Whether this works or not… depends on whether my extra training pays off."
Even before touching the water, his body instinctively rejected it.
The sea hated Devil Fruit users.
And Devil Fruit users hated the sea.
Carefully, Shinji stepped into the tub.
Instantly—
A wave of weakness surged through his body.
It felt like fear itself was flowing through his blood.
All strength vanished.
In that condition, if he slipped underwater, he could easily drown.
Shinji had already prepared for this.
Two ropes were tied around his waist and fastened to the door.
They held him in a sitting position in the tub.
With every passing second, his breathing grew weaker.
"So… this is how Devil Fruit users feel in seawater…"
Shinji tried to speak but barely had the strength.
"If the fruit could transform this pain too… maybe it could strengthen me even here."
"But that's probably just a dream."
He leaned against the edge of the bathtub.
The ropes prevented him from drowning.
But they also meant he didn't have the strength to climb out.
Gradually—
His breathing grew slower.
But deep inside his body, a faint energy began to stir.
Even when Devil Fruit users were submerged in seawater, their abilities didn't completely disappear.
They simply became extremely weak.
Just like when Luffy fought Arlong—even while trapped underwater, his rubber body still stretched.
Years later, Luffy would even attack enemies underwater while using Gear Third and Armament Haki.
Shinji's Devil Fruit worked differently.
The greater the pain or injury, the more energy it could convert.
Now—
Inside seawater—
His power was heavily suppressed.
But the ability still existed.
A faint warmth slowly appeared in his body.
Little by little, his body began adapting to the weakening effect of the sea.
It was small.
Almost insignificant.
But Shinji could feel the improvement.
Night fell.
Moonlight shone through the small window.
Shinji raised his head and looked outside.
Finally—
He could breathe a little easier.
The night passed.
When morning arrived, he noticed several strands of hair had fallen out.
"Using magic to defeat magic…"
The next day he still felt extremely weak.
Even though his body had adapted slightly, the suppressed fruit ability could only transform his condition slowly.
Shinji exhaled heavily.
He still didn't have the strength to climb out of the seawater tub.
Creak.
The door suddenly opened.
The rope loosened—
Shinji slipped beneath the water, swallowing a mouthful of seawater.
"Shinji!"
Koby rushed forward and pulled him out.
"Next time I'll tie the rope to the bed frame," Shinji said weakly while lying on the floor.
"This time was my mistake."
Helmeppo stared at the tub in disbelief.
"That's seawater!"
"So that's why you told us to come check on you every morning!"
Koby suddenly understood.
Before starting this training, Shinji had asked both of them to visit him each morning.
They thought he had something important to discuss.
Instead—
He had nearly drowned.
Everyone knew that Devil Fruit users should avoid seawater and Seastone at all costs.
Shinji, however, had willingly soaked himself in it.
It was insane.
"It's fine," Shinji said calmly.
"I'll only train like this once a week."
"I won't bother you too much."
"And sooner or later… I'll be able to climb out by myself."
His body was still weak.
But as soon as the seawater's effect faded, the fruit's power began healing him rapidly.
The swelling disappeared.
And a stronger force surged through his body.
Sure enough—
This method worked.
No matter how painful the injury or exhaustion, it would eventually transform into energy.
Soon after, Shinji walked to the cafeteria as if nothing had happened.
Fried eggs.
Seafood fried rice.
Oranges.
A huge glass of milk.
He devoured everything.
Even after watching this, Koby and Helmeppo were still stunned.
Among the trainees on the ship, they were already considered extremely hardworking.
Aside from Shinji, no one trained harder.
But comparing themselves to him…
Was simply cruel.
Shinji trained like a madman.
And as a Devil Fruit user—
He even bathed in seawater.
It was terrifying.
Still, Koby and Helmeppo kept the secret.
To them, Shinji wasn't just their superior officer.
He was their big brother.
The three of them fought, trained, and lived together.
One day later, the battleship safely sailed out of the Calm Belt.
Garp stood happily on deck, enjoying the sea breeze.
Meanwhile, Shinji's monstrous growth pushed Koby and Helmeppo to train even harder.
Their admiration for him grew stronger every day.
Garp noticed everything.
Among the three young recruits he had taken in—
Especially Shinji—
He had a feeling that boy would one day carry great responsibility.
A week later.
When Shinji repeated his seawater training again—
He discovered something incredible.
Inside the seawater bathtub—
He could move his fingers.
It was a small change.
But it came at the cost of nearly dying.
Not long after, Shinji, Koby, and Helmeppo cautiously stood outside Garp's cabin.
Moments earlier, Adjutant Bogard had given them a mission.
A nearby summer island had been occupied by a pirate with a bounty of 50 million Berries.
Recently, that pirate crew had captured a merchant ship traveling nearby.
They had taken hundreds of civilians hostage, demanding an enormous ransom.
It didn't feel like normal pirate behavior.
Something bigger seemed to be happening behind the scenes.
So the three of them were assigned a covert mission.
Under the cover of darkness, they would infiltrate the island and locate where the hostages were being held.
"Old Garp… do we have any other clues?" Shinji asked.
From Garp's expression, he knew the situation was complicated.
"The pirates hijacked a ship," Garp replied calmly.
"The money doesn't matter."
"But there are hundreds of innocent lives at risk."
"In the past, pirates like them would take the treasure and kill everyone."
"But this time, they deliberately drew our attention."
"There must be another purpose behind it."
"Kidnapping the hostages is just a way to lure the Navy."
Even so—
Garp had already used his Observation Haki to examine the entire island.
Shinji understood.
The vice admiral likely knew everything happening there.
What mattered was the bigger event hidden behind it.
Originally, the ship had been heading back to Marine Headquarters.
Now they had changed course to investigate this strange kidnapping case.
Everything about it felt suspicious.